How are the tulips and figs faring after the frost, and other questions

This week, I thought I would cover several topics and questions that I have had recently.
First, I’ve had several inquires about the recent frost. Some homeowners called me before the frost hit, wondering how to protect their fruit. After the event, the questions are more like “How did the crop fare,” and “Will we still have fruit this year?”
I’ll answer that by saying that yes, we are still in good shape. I recently stopped by several orchards with Mr. Patrick Byers, Fruit Grower Advisor with the Missouri State Fruit Experiment Station. None of the orchards that we visited had significant damage. So as I write this, we’re still on track for a good fruit crop unless a late freeze comes along.
I’ve also had a couple of inquires about tulips, and especially their longevity in north Missouri. Yes, you can keep tulips around from year to year, but our Missouri climate does present a challenge to tulip growing compared to more northern locations. But to put it in perspective, you have a much better chance of success with tulips here, compared to Southeast Missouri, where most tulips have to be treated as annuals.
The key to growing tulips, like most plants, is found in the leaf. Everyone likes the beautiful flowers, but some people don’t care for the leaves, and even cut them off prematurely. Don’t do that. The leaves need to be kept growing as long as possible so that they can photosynthesize nutrients. Those nutrients are then sent down to replenish the bulb, so that next year there will be a good healthy bulb with plenty of resources to send up another flower stalk.
In Missouri, where our springs are sometimes too short, tulip leaves may not endure long enough to replenish the bulb successfully. Through the years, this may eventually weaken the plant to the point that it no longer sends up a flower stalk. So keep those leaves living as long as possible.
By the way, keeping the leaves around as long as possible applies to any flower with an underground bulb, corm, or other structure.
Figs? Did I say Missouri-grown figs? Yes, indeed. A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of seeing figs in a greenhouse just south of St. Louis. I had heard the grower over at the Great Plains Vegetable Conference in St. Joseph a few years ago, and naturally wanted to see his greenhouse.
Figs are an interesting fruit crop. Most of the traditional fruit crops that we grow in Missouri require two years on a mature plant to produce fruit. The first growing season, a flower bud is produced. The next year, that flower bud blooms and produces a fruit. But with figs, the fruit can be produced on the current’s year’s new wood.
The grower initially started with an unheated hoop house. The figs would be frozen back to the ground each winter. Then, when new shoots came up, figs would be produced. Because the hoop house gave an extended growing season, those figs would mature successfully.
Now, the grower heats the house into November, and matures even more figs, selling them to chefs in St. Louis. He gets top dollar for them, but chefs are willing to pay for them. After all, they are fresh figs. From Missouri!